banks



' 3 Sheets-Sheet 1,

(Model) T O. M. BANKS.

BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

Patented 001;. 23, 1 883.

W1 TNESSES INVENTOR A nk/$121357 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(Model) 0. M. BANKS. BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MAUHINE3. No. 286,989.

Patented Oct. 23, 1883.

JNVENTOR,

WI T NESSES .1

Nv PEYERS. mowmm w. Washlmgian. D, c.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

G. M. BANKS.

BUTTON HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

(Model) Patented Oct. 23; 1883.

, [NVENTOR/ A T T ORNE Y5" -UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DIRECT AND MESNE- ASSIGNMENT S, TO THE BANKS BUTTON HOLE MA- CHINE COMPANY, (LIMITED,) OF SAME PLACE.

BUTTON-HOLE ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 286,989, dated October 23, 1883.

Application tiled November 8,1881. (Model.) 7

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLEs M. BANKS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and 5 State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Button-Hole- Stitching Attachments for Sewing-Machines; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention. reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which form part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation, partly in section, of the head of a sewing-machine with my im- I5 provements illustrated as applied thereto.

Figs. 2, 3, and 4. are detail views of zigzagstitch mechanism. Fig. 5 is a plan of mechanism for operating ratchet-wheel and pinion secured to the cloth-plate or holder.

disk, and attached racks. Fig. 7 is a plan of cloth-carrier and mechanism' for moving the same. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective of pivoted rack for cloth-carrier. Figs. 9 and 10 are respectively a perspective and side elevation of aslight modification in construction of the cloth plate or carrier. Fig. 11 is a detail perspective; Fig. 12, a detail sectional plan; and Fig. 13, a perspective of the needle- 0 carrier inverted, showing two needles therein.

My invention consists in the peculiar construction and novel combination of parts, hereinafter described, constituting a button-holestitching attachment for sewing-machines.

3 5 My improvements relate, first, to the means for effecting a reciprocating motion of the needle, and, second, to the devices for efiecting the feed of the cloth in the line of the edge of the button-hole.

Referring to the means for effecting the movement of the needle, my improvements consist, essentially, in the provision of a pivoted needle-carrier arranged to vibrate in a horizontal plane, and actuated directly by a 4 5 sliding cam provided with means for adjusting Fig. 6. 20 is an inverted plan of cloth-carrier, rotary bination, witha sliding cloth-carrier provided with a rotary disk, of a rack formed in two sections, one of which is adapted to slide upon the other, anda pinion which engages altera.

nately with said sections, the movement of said carrier and its disk being effected by means of adog on the feed-bar of the machine, all as hereinafter more fully specified.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Fig. 2 shows a bracket with vibrating lever, which is attached to the head of the machine, as shown in Fig. 1. This device is constructed as shown and claimed in Letters Patent of the United States dated August 30, 1881, granted to me, (No. 246,450,) and need not here be further described.

In Figs. 3 and4 A represents a lever pivoted at a to a stock, B, which stock is designedto be fastened to the bottom of the needle-bar of the machine by a screw, b, as shown in Fig. 1

of the drawings. The needle is fastened in an opening, a, in said lever by a set-screw, a.

D represents a cam fitted by tongue and groove din the face of the stock B, so that it may be reciprocated thereon in ahorizontal plane. Said cam is held in place bya screw, (1, which enters the stock B, passing through a slot, 11 The lower end of the cam D has two depending lugs, d d", between which the forward or free end of the lever A projects. There is play-space between said lugs for the end of said lever, the extent of which is regulated bya set-screw, 61*,

in one of the lugs (1 If desired, both of said lugs may be provided with set-screws 11*. The upper portion of the cam D is tapered, forming two inclined edges, d d which alternately meet opposite sides of the short pivoted lever, (shown in Fig. 2, and more particularly described in Letters Patent above referred to,

thereby causing the cam D to be reciprocated,

stock, as shown in Fig. 12. This allows the cam to move without binding, yet steadily.

Referring now to Figs. 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, E shows a feed-plate or cloth-carrier fitted in guides or ways in the cloth-pl ate of the machine, so that it may be moved longitudinally thereon. Said feed-plate carries a circular disk, F, fitted in an annular recess in the feedplate E, and held therein by lugs e 6, so that the surfaces of both shall be flush and the disk capable of rotation in the plate. Said disk is formed with a button-hole slot, f, and also 011 its under side with a semi-annular rack, f.

G represents a pawl or dog of the peculiar shape shown, consisting of a curved arm, g, with tooth near its outer end. Said dog is fastened to and partakes of the movement of the feed-bar H of the machine, which feed-bar has the ordinary four motion. The tooth g engages with the teeth of the annular rack f, as hereinafter described.

I represents a rack secured to the under side of the plate E. Said rack is formed in two sections, i and i. The section 2' is rigidly secured to the plate E, while the section 2" is secured on the section i by a screw, 2'", passing through a slot, 73". Section 1" has also a stem, 2, provided with an encircling spiral spring, i which stem and spring rest, as shown, in a recess, i on the upper side of the section '6. By means of this construction the section 1" is capable of being slid on section i, and is so moved, as hereinafter set forth. Both sections iand i have rack-teeth, several of those of section '5 being removed at a point directly beneath section i, for a purpose hereinafter set forth.

K represents a ratchetwheel, and L a pinion on the same shaft, which meshes with the teeth of the rack I. Said ratchet is moved by a pawl, M, which in turn receives movement through the interlocking levers N N from the feed-dog G, a side tooth, g, on said dog e11- tering an opening, a, in the end of said lever. The rack I- is pivoted at one end, as shown at 1' and is provided at the other with a setscrew, i which passes through a segmental slot, 1'", in the plate E. By these means said rack may be swung into and held in engagement with the pinion L and released therefrom, as hereinafter specified.

0 represents a cloth-holder, consisting of two arms, 0 and 0', pivoted at 0 and there provided with a spring, 0, which tends to separate them. The arm 0 is rigidly secured to the rotary disk F, while the arm 0 passes under the presser-foot and operates, when said foot is down upon it, as shown in Fig. 1, to hold the cloth between it and the arm 0, whereby such cloth is moved with the feed-plate and rotary disk. The arms 0 0 are broadened at the end under the presser-foot, and have a button-hole slot formed in each of them,which registers with the similar slot, f, in the rotary disk F.

The operation is as follows: The feed-plate or cloth-carrier being drawn back or inwardly and the rack I swung over and secured, so that the parts will occupy the relative position shown in Fig. 7, the cloth to be stitched is adjusted in the holder with the button-hole slit in coincidence with the slot fin the rotar Y disk F. The machine being started, the pinion L moves the rack I, engaging with the rigid section thereof, and causes the feed-plate or cloth-carrier E to slide lengthwise until one side of the button-hole, or from the starting end up to the eye, has been stitched. By this timethe plate or carrier Elias been moved far enough for the firstv tooth of the semiannular or segmental rack f 011 the disk F to come into line with the tooth g of the pawl or dog G. An engagement of said tooth and seg mental rack now, occurs, and the rotary disk is thereby made to rotate halfway arou nd when such engagement ceases, by reason of the pawltooth g passing the last tooth of the rack f \Vhile this half-rotation of the disk is trans piring the feed-plate or carrier E is not moving, as during such time the pinion L is in mesh with and moving the slidingraek 'i and eompressing the spring 1', being out of engagement with the rack 2' by reason of the mutilation or absence of teeth of the latter, as already specified; but as soon as a half-rotation of the disk has been accomplished-the pinion L again comes into engagement with the rigid section of the rack I, and again moves the feed-plate in the same direction as before until the end of said rack is reached. Though the plate E now moves in the same direction as before, yet, as the cloth has been turned around with the disk F when the latter was semi-rotated, as described, the stitching now proceeds down the other side of the button-hole to the finishing endi. 0., the end from which the start was made. After the button-hole is finished and the cloth removed, the disk F is rotated half-way around and the feed-plate slid back to its normal position, the rack being thrown out of engagement with the pinion L after loosening the set-screw i the spring serving to bring back the rack-section z" to its original place.

If desired, two needles may be employed, one in the needle-bar of the machine proper and the other in the needle-carrier, as shown in Fig. 13. If a cord be passedthrough the opening 19 and laid 011 the edge of the buttonhole, so as to be crossed by the zigzag stitch, the button-hole will be corded.

P represents a bar secured to the bed of the machine below the cloth-plate, as at 1). It eX- tends laterally, and proceeds half-way across the throat or slot f, terminating in a finger,

p, which projects upwardly through said slot.

This finger forms a, divider, which separates the edges of the slit in the cloth which is to be stitched, to form the button-hole. Beside the base of the finger there is formed in the bar P an opening, 1), for the passage of a cord, q, (shown in Fig. 11,) coming from a suitably- Kin located spool. (Not shown in the drawings.)

This is to provide for cording the button-hole, if so desired.

hat I claim as my invention is as follows:

1. The combination, with stock B and lever A, pivoted thereon, of a sliding cam, D, secured on said stock and engaging with said lever, substantially as shown, whereby, when said slide is reciprocated, said lever will be vibrated on said stock, as specified.

2. The combination, with stock B and pivoted lever A, of slide D, having depending lugs d (1, one of said lugs carrying aset-screw, d, for limiting the vibration of said lever, substantially as shown and described.

3. The combination, with feed-plate E, of

rack I, formed in two sections, "5 and i, the latter being adapted to slide 011 the former, and having a spring, '5 substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination, with feed-plate E, of

' rack I, formed in two sections, z and i, and

pivoted at one end, whereby, when the pinion L has traversed the teeth of both sections, said rack-may be swung out of engagement therewith, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination of feed-plate E, having rack I, pawl and ratchet K M, and pinion L,

is held stationary and the disk caused to rotate when the end of the button-hole is being stitched, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand this 4th day of November, 1881.

CHARLES M. BANKS.

Witnesses:

S. J. VAN STAVOREN, CHAS. F. VAN HORN. 

